Brand new TV aerial

[dpm_dpmartin]

Not a DIY question, this, but I'm just looking for insight. I need a new aerial installing on a new build house that doesn't come with one... so it's a green-field install. I know nothing about aerials, but I want to spend the extra pennies to get something good... not bog-standard.

I'll try to find a CAI-approved installer, which might see me right if they're reputable, but I like to try and know what to ask for...

I'm guessing it'll be better on the roof as opposed to in the loft (which I gather some folk have)?

I'm guessing the "number of elements" is important? The more the better?

I have no idea about aerial brands - is DMX a brand?

I gather I should insist on good quality cable, not just the most basic co-axial that's available?

I already have wall sockets in the house, but is there advantage in doing things like - say - having 2 cables going to a 2-gang outlet, or is that just for Sky+?

Any guidance appreciated. I realise it's something people hardly ever do and probably won't do again so I want to do it right and avoid any pitfalls (like engaging someone who's featured on Rogue Traders!).

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

Kind of bemused that the CAI's own website - under "Find an installing member" - only comes back with 2 hits for the County of South Yorkshire!!! That can't be right, surely?

But maybe it is, because the first one is completely booked-up for over a week and the second one isn't even an installer. All very strange. The second one did recommend an installer, but they're not CAI registered / approved or what-have-you. Will contact them anyway.

 

[Lucid]

A good installer doesn't necessarily have to be CAI registered, and equally being CAI registered only guarantees a minimum standard*

A good installer will have local knowledge of what's the best type of aerial for your area, and they'll have a professional meter costing several hundred pounds to ensure adequate signal at the roof and at the end of all the drop leads and outlets. They'll also be insured.

As general guidance, if an installer turns up without a meter or with one of those £10-£40 jobs that you can buy from DIY stores and Ebay then they're not the real deal.

"I want to buy something really good" often equates to a home owner mistaking 'big + expensive' for 'good'. Most experienced aerial installers will relate to the experience of talking to a home owner who ignores good advice and opts for something huge and expensive; I have even driven past a job I quoted on where the owner had a gold-plated 'High Definition Digital Aerial' installed by some chancer who stitched him up like a kipper just because he was told what he wanted to hear.

Have a chat with the retailer 'Aerials and TV'; they're based in the South Yorkshire area. They have a great Web site and they're good honest knowledgeable installers.

* Before Winston chimes in, yes I know there's more to it than that but I am dealing in generalities for the sake of expedience at the moment.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

I will take a look - thank you for that. I don't want the biggest and best just because it's the most £££s, I just have no knowledge of what's on offer in this space (ask me about TVs or hi-fi or home automation and I can speak with some knowledge as I've done the research and I keep going back to things like that, aerials certainly not so) so I don't want to be stitched up like that kipper!

I have someone who can come around on Saturday - Slater's in Sheffield - as they were recommended by the second firm I called that was listed on the CAI website. Estimate in knowing what I want is "between £90 and £120". I don't even know if that's a fair price for what I think I want - which is a roof-mounted aerial that connects to (I think) 2 aerial sockets within the house.

In the meantime I will look for 'Aerials and TV'.

 

[winston1]

That seems to be about the going rate.

 

[DaveHerns]

I'd rather have my aerial in the loft if the signal strength is OK .It looks better and won't be damaged by winds. My house has the cheapest type of aerial dating back to 1982 when it was built and it powers 3 TV's without an amplifier and also works on Freeview HD. Looks like it was wired with the worst quality coax. I'm amazed it works

 

[ericmark]

Ask yourself what the aerial does? It receives radio signals over quite a wide band and makes them available to the TV. Too much and there is a problem and too little there is a problem. Also we have factors like wind resistance and damage to the property if the aerial is too big and hung from some part of the property which can't take the weight. So the whole process is a compromise.

Personally I only use satellite now. But radio is my hobby and I see so many OTT aerials put up. Where I live I could nearly work on a wet bit of string. The less metal in the air as long as it will do the job the better. In the main in a new house the aerial wire is left coiled up in the loft. If that is the case then look at where you are in relation to the transmitter if reasonably close try a cheap loft aerial first. If that fails then look at one outside.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

Had it installed, £110, results are good. Discreet aerial, half on the side of the house with just a bit peeking over the roof line. Only a 10 element jobbie, but he was right that it'd be fine.

 

[Sam Gangee]

It sounds as if you had it installed on a wall. A chimney installation would cost more - sometimes a lot more.

Cost varies for other reasons. As Lucid says, an expert will have a spectrum analyser - not just a meter - because some locations are in sight of more than one transmitter and require careful inspection of the signals in order to determine the most suitable aerial (and maybe filter, too). In such a case, the installer won't leave home for less than £200.

Consequently, the less knowledgeable installers will "cherry-pick" the simple jobs and leave the complex ones for the experts to deal with.